Corporate health programs are no longer just offering free gym memberships or yoga classes, they are designed to deliver performance outcomes for organisations. Although health programs are common in organisations, they have they moved beyond the demand for one off services such as group fitness without emphasis on measuring the benefit the services within the business or culture. Organisations now want twelve month, measurable and manageable programs which link with company objectives and targets. They help educate the workforce and set goals and targets.
Research shows that a study by Harvard University suggests for every $1 spend yields $3.27 in healthcare cost savings, and $2.73 savings in absenteeism. Similarly, stress-related absenteeism costs Australian businesses more than $30 million a year, according to the Australian Psychological Society.
Organisations that promote health and wellness programs have moved beyond health checks or flu shots to deliver programs that include everything from healthy office design to mindfulness techniques, while those organisations that don’t promote health and wellness are shown to be four times more likely to lose staff within twelve months.
Many senior executives tend to neglect themselves at work as they feel time not working is non-productive, both competitive and driven they are often lost to organisations due to high stress, burnout or illness.
New Wellness Culture Paradigm
Establishing a health conscious culture enables business to not only increase productivity of individuals and teams but attract and keep the best people. Research has shown that job satisfaction, interesting challenges, feeling valued and appreciated is valued above high pay, even when attracting or retaining high performing staff.
The cost of many health and wellness programs range from $700 to $10,000 per employee a year for online or on-site education, seminars, retreats and ongoing support and coaching.
The focus for busy executives who need to perform at an elite level from a commercial viewpoint, is to focus on their resilience as well as their fitness. Whether at executive level or throughout the whole organisations, the CEO has to show a personal commitment to health and wellness that drives the development of the program. This is a whole new paradigm shift to a health and wellness corporate culture.
Benefit of Wellness Culture
Wellbeing of the workforce creates a competitive advantage for many companies. Many corporate wellness programs include sending their staff to seminars or retreats. Experience shows that performance improves dramatically once employees return to the office as they continue to make dietary changes and fitness regimes which have a positive impact on their productivity.
For example, a three-day corporate programme includes expert seminars as well as exercise, nutritious food and team-building activities. Benefits include refreshed and inspired individuals and teams, improved mental health and resilience, increased productivity and less absenteeism.
Another key benefit of corporate wellness programs and culture is attracting and retaining the best talent for the business. Some companies also support not only the physical well being of their employees but also the psychological well being. It is important to create a healthy environment where people feel supported, can perform and be resilient in times of pressure and change.
Whether the impact of absenteeism on the bottom line or an authentic commitment to staff well being is motivating companies, or both, they are now taking up corporate wellness programs, and the result is a greater number of options for executives and employees in maintaining and improving their health and productivity.